University Writing Center assists job seekers, college applicants

Unemployment rates in North Carolina hit 7.6% in June – almost double the rate from a year ago. If you’re one of those seeking a job, East Carolina University’s Online Community Writing Center can help you craft a better resume.

And if you’re looking to further your education to help land the perfect job, the center staff can help with your college application, too.

For job seekers, while networking is important, a strong resume and cover letter still go a long way, said Rebecca Johnson, assistant director of the University Writing Center.

“One of the biggest things I’ve helped people with is being detailed when describing their work duties,” said Johnson, who’s experienced with working with job applications. “Often, job seekers don’t go into as much detail as they should because they assume people already know what they’re talking about. This might be true, but everyone’s experience is unique, so it’s important to really convey that.

Professors of English Wendy Sharer, right, and Will Banks, who also is director of the University Writing Program, sit in the University Writing Center in 2018. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)

“For example, a person might say that she ‘updated the company blog’ on her resume. That still leaves questions for readers. Instead, it might be better for the person to say, ‘Updated the company’s WordPress blog daily, averaged 5,000 readers per month.’ That gives readers a clearer sense of the person’s accomplishments and how she might be different from other applicants.”

Johnson also works to help job seekers incorporate the language of their industry into their resumes. “Larger companies often use software to scan application materials for these words,” she said. “A person can have a great cover letter and resume, but if she doesn’t use the same terms, she might not make the cut.”

Johnson said profiles and employment objectives people often list at the top of their resumes are less common now. “More people just jump into their educational histories and past jobs,” she said.

That’s useful information for older workers who might be back in the job market for the first time in decades, along with an ability to condense information.

“People in their 40s and 50s entering the job market have so much work experience that it can be difficult to know what to focus on in their resumes,” she said. “Employers often read over materials quickly, especially if they receive a lot of applications, so anything over a page or page-and-a-half might be overlooked. It’s important to focus only on the experiences that are most relevant to a particular job.”

Likewise, younger people are often unsure of how to fill out their resumes because they don’t have a lot of work experience, or they have experience but not in their fields.

“I have to remind them that they actually have lots of great experiences that they can draw on like class projects and clubs,” Johnson said. “The key is focusing on the ‘soft skills’ that they utilized while working on them. Soft skills include things like communication, problem solving and the ability to work well with other people. Employers are always looking for people who have these skills.”

For college applicants working on their statements of purpose, admission essays or scholarship materials, Johnson says just listing accomplishments doesn’t give readers a good sense of applicants’ personalities or why they’d do well at a particular school.

“Instead, applicants want to go into detail about the stories behind their accomplishments,” she said. “For example, a person might say that she did a lot of volunteer work. I’d encourage that student to go a bit further and describe a particular instance when she did community service and reflect on its importance. How did it shape her? Why is this particular experience important? How did it prepare her for school?”

The Community Writing Center is operating online for the foreseeable future. To request writing support, email your documents to communitywriting@ecu.edu. Staff members aim to respond within three business days depending on demand.